


Secrets in the Shadows

by Allycat1212



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: AHHHH it's finally done, Chapter one, Crime, Detectives, Gen, Lot's of shady stuff is about to happen, ahhhhhhh, be prepared please, if there are any possible triggers i'll put them at the start of that chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-04 18:43:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18610306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Allycat1212/pseuds/Allycat1212
Summary: A string of murders plagues downtown LA. People are terrified and the only person the police see fit enough to go on the job is C.C Tinsley, a private investigator working with his partner Banjo and friend Francesca. No one knows who's behind these murders but a bunch of clues leading to a bunch of suspects make the case muddy and it's up to Tinsley to deciper the clues and see who's really behind all this.





	Secrets in the Shadows

**Author's Note:**

> I FINALLY FINISHED CHAPTER ONE YES
> 
> This took me soooo long. 
> 
> Welp there's no trigger warnings this chapter but READ THE NOTES EVERY CHAPTER

Chapter 1: The Storm Has Just Begun

Dark clouds rolled across the sky, clear indication of a storm that was most certainly going to take place. In some ways it fit the somber mood that fell all around the Los Angeles area. Some could argue that the incoming storm was what caused the sudden mood drop. In the midst of the city a man sat at his desk. He was relatively tall, about 6’4 when standing upright. He wore a white button up with black pants and a black tie around his neck. His brown hair was messily styled back and he had bags under his brown eyes. This man’s name was C.C Tinsley. A private investigator in the LA area. He had a nice client base set up despite not being in the area for that long. He made it a point to get all his cases done quickly and give his clients the results they wanted.  
He didn’t work alone though. In the offices he had his partner, Banjo Mcclintock. He wasn’t as enigmatic as Tinsley was but he aside from that he was a good detective. In the office as well there was Francesca Norris, the front desk assistant. While she had a sharp tongue she was a generally nice person. There would be a few complaints about how she treated certain people but most of the time it was only because they got on her nerves with tedious questions. Both were good editions to C.C’s team and he was sure that he wouldn’t have this client base without them.  
At the moment the two detectives were investigating a string of murders that had happened recently. The strange thing about this case was that the killer had been very sneaky about this string of murders. There hadn’t been much evidence linking anyone to the crime but the two had managed to gather up some sort of list of suspects. It was nothing Tinsley was particularly proud of but it worked for the time being. Once they gathered more information they could finalize the list but for now all they had were suspects that could vaguely fit into what they were theorizing the killer was like.  
Tinsley listened to the quick sound of the clock ticking in the silent office. Banjo had gone out to get coffee and some fresh air, leaving the older detective alone with his thoughts. It wasn’t hard for Tinsley to get lost in all his different thoughts, in fact he did it quite often.  
“Tinsley!” Francesca’s voice cut through his thoughts. Tinsley looked over at her and let out a heavy sigh.  
“What do you want Francesca?” He asked. The woman stared at Tinsley with an impatient look on her face.  
“Can’t you show a little bit of gratitude?” She said, her voice sharp. Tinsley knew she wasn’t inherently mad at him though, this was just how she is.  
“And why should I be grateful?” He asked.  
“Because Mcclintock brought you a coffee and doughnut, but I can take it back to him if you want.”  
Tinsley’s eyes moved over to the objects in the woman’s hands. He hadn’t noticed them until just now but he the more he thought about it, a coffee did sound like something he wanted right now. It would help distract him from his thoughts and keep him focused into what he was doing. He sat for another quick moment before taking the coffee and doughnut.  
“I’ll take it.” Tinsley grumbled. “But don’t let him think this is going to be a multiple time thing.”  
Francesca shook her head. “Whatever you say Tinsley just make sure to thank him for buying you a coffee. You aren’t exactly good at remembering those types of things.” She said with a smirk. “So make sure that you keep your manners in mind when you talk to him.”  
Tinsley rolled his eyes, heaving himself up from his chair. “Yeah, Yeah. I get it Francesca, don’t worry about my manners. Mcclintock is a detective he should be used to not so friendly people. It’s what our job deals with.”  
“Yeah but he’s still sensitive, so at least try and be somewhat polite to him.” Tinsley nodded and took a sip of the coffee.  
“Whatever you say Francesca.”  
The man waved her off and she sighed. “Goldsworth called, said he wanted to talk to you by the way. I told him you were busy.”  
“Thank you Francesca. I’ll call him later.”  
Francesca nodded as she left the room. Just as she left a man walked into the room, his features were younger than Tinsley’s and it was clear he wasn’t anywhere near as worn out as he was. He dressed in mostly western attire, an odd choice for someone living in LA. Tinsley never questioned it though.  
“I take it Francesca gave you the little present I got for you?” Mcclintock spoke, his voice had a slight southern accent, possibly because of the trip he had taken to North Carolina a few months back. Tinsley didn’t mind, work had been slow and everyone in the office had needed a break. No one really thought much about what Banjo had done while on vacation but he did come back with some interesting stories.  
“Yeah, thanks.” Tinsley said, taking another sip of the coffee. “It’s a little sweet but as long as it’s caffeine i’m not going to be to picky about it.” It was rare for Tinsley to ever give anyone a compliment so Banjo took it as a thank you and nodded.  
“Your really should get some sleep boss.” Banjo said after a moment of silence. “You can’t stay hooked on coffee forever. Francesca is afraid one day we’ll have to take you to the hospital because you’re passed out on the floor from how much caffeine you intake a day.”  
Tinsley shook his head and let out a long drawn out sigh. “You won’t have to worry about that. I know how much is too much, besides if we want to get this case done we don’t need you two worrying about my health. I’m the lead investigator after all.”  
“Yeah but you can take a break. It won’t hurt you-” Banjo started. He quickly shut his mouth after Tinsley gave him a hard stare. The younger man stared at the ground for a moment.  
“Sorry boss, we just worry that’s all.”  
“I don’t need you to worry, like I said I know what i’m doing.” There was a sharp bitterness to Tinsley’s voice. A bitterness that wasn’t natural in Tinsley’s voice unless he was either annoyed or upset. Thankfully he was just annoyed and no one would have to face an upset Tinsley.  
It was rare that Tinsley ever got upset but nobody wanted to stick around when he did get upset. The last time he got upset with something everyone was sure that he would have a broken hand because of the hole he punched in the wall. It wasn’t a pretty sight but for everyone’s sake and safety it hardly ever happened.  
“Alright…” Banjo started to speak. “Have you made any progress on the case?”  
“No, not yet. Everytime I think I have some kind of lead it always ends up becoming a dead end.” Tinsley said. The older man's eyes landed on his partner. He looked tired, exhausted almost. Banjo knew he wouldn’t stop working until he got some kind of lead but it didn’t help that the man was working himself almost to death.  
Tinsley looked through the files of papers on his desk. His eyes resting on a few suspects that could actually help to gain something in this investigation. Two girls had been detained and ready to be questioned, Tinsley just needed to say the word of when. He got up and looked at his younger partner. “We could start actually getting somewhere by investigating the girls who were detained.”  
Banjo nodded. “Yeah but we don’t have any evidence that they did anything to injure the victim. All we know is that they were found at the scene of the crime and we haven’t found anything else linking them to that crime.”  
“ True, but these are the only leads we have and when they were found neither of them seemed very upset about what just happened.” Tinsley said. “It’s better than nothing and like I said they’re the only leads we have.”  
“Maybe they’ve seen worse?” Banjo suggested. “It would make sense, they could just be desensitized to all of this.”  
“It’s still not worth letting a potential break in the case get away.” With that Tinsley got up and grabbed his bag. He looked over at Banjo as the younger man got up.  
“Alright let’s head out then I guess. I can tell you aren’t going to let up on this. Plus, there’s no point in trying to stop you.” Banjo sighed. “So we might as well head out.”  
Tinsley nodded and looked at Banjo. “I’ll tell Francesca to let us know if anything else comes up.” The older man's eyes rested on Banjo’s face. “Why don’t you head to the car?”  
Banjo nodded, leaving the office to head to Tinsley’s car. A banged up truck that looked like it would hardly be able to run if it got in a bad enough car wreck. No one really complained though because it was really the only car they had, other than Banjo’s Honda Civic and he didn’t want to have to force himself to sit in that uncomfortable car any longer than he needed.  
Tinsley grabbed his coat and started to head off in the direction Banjo went. He turned off the light to his mess of an office and closed the door, locking it just in case someone were to come in. He didn’t think it would happen but you can never be too careful, he learned that from experience.  
“So where are you two headed?” Francesca asked once Tinsley walked out into reception area.  
“Just getting ready to investigate a lead or two. Nothing serious.”  
“Are you sure about that? This case doesn't seem like it’s ‘nothing serious.’ Are you sure you don’t need me to come along with you?”  
“Francesca we’ll be fine don’t worry.” With that Tinsley left the building to catch up to his partner and follow the lead they had.  
Once he got in the truck he snuck a glance at his partner. Banjo was humming along to the music playing on the radio. Tinsley never cared much for radio music but he was willing to let Banjo listen to it. It wasn’t that big of a deal.  
The older man got somewhat comfortable in seat and drove out of the parking spot after putting it in reverse and back in drive. He looked at his younger partner and smirked. “Let’s investigate.”

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on Tumblr for updates: allycat1212
> 
> Feel free to leave requests there too.


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